Near-field tsunami amplification factors in the Kii Peninsula,Japan for Dense Oceanfloor Network for Earthquakes and Tsunamis (DONET)

We investigated the correlation between coastal and offshore tsunami heights by using data from the Dense Oceanfloor Network for Earthquakes and Tsunamis (DONET) observational array of ocean-bottom pressure gauges in the Nankai trough off the Kii Peninsula, Japan. For near-field earthquakes, hydrostatic pressure changes may not accurately indicate sea surface fluctuations, because ocean-bottom pressure gauges are simultaneously displaced by crustal deformation due to faulting. To avoid this problem, we focused on the average waveform of the absolute value of the hydrostatic pressure changes recorded at all the DONET stations during a tsunami. We conducted a Monte Carlo tsunami simulation that revealed a clear relationship between the average waveforms of DONET and tsunami heights at the coast. This result indicates the possibility of accurate real-time prediction of tsunamis by use of arrays of ocean-bottom pressure gauges.     

Seismic activity beneath the Nankai trough revealed by DONET ocean-bottom observations

We conducted a detailed investigation of seismic activity from January 2011 to February 2013 along the Nankai trough off the Kii Peninsula, central Japan, by using data obtained from the DONET ocean-bottom observation network. The hypocenters are mostly within the subducting Philippine Sea (PHS) plate, although a few are along the plate boundary or in the sedimentary wedge below the Kumano forearc basin. The seismic activity can be separated into events above and below 20 km depth, which corresponds approximately to the Moho. The hypocenter distributions are distinctly different for these groups. The seismic activity in the oceanic crust can be further separated into three clusters. Most of the seismic activity recorded in our data represents aftershocks of the 2004 off the Kii Peninsula earthquakes (M _JMA = 7.1, 7.4, and 6.5), which occurred in the PHS plate. The hypocenter distribution in the oceanic crust correlates well with the location of the Paleo-Zenisu ridge, which is formed by a chain of seamounts that is subducting beneath the forearc basin. The hypocenters in the uppermost mantle are aligned on a plane dipping to the southeast, consistent with the existence of a thrust fault cutting through the lithosphere of the oceanic plate. The focal mechanisms of the earthquakes show that the axis of compressive stress in the PHS plate is oriented N–S, almost perpendicular to the direction of plate convergence, indicating a complex tectonic regime in this region. These results suggest that intraplate shortening may be occurring in the subducting oceanic plate.     

Nonlinear sediment thickness increase on the western East Pacific Rise flank, 45°S

Sediment thickness was evaluated on the western flank of the East Pacific Rise (EPR) at 45°S, based on high-resolution seismic data gathered during cruise 213/2 of R/V Sonne in 2011. Two zones with distinctly different sediment thickness were identified, separated by a transitional zone bordering a pseudo-fault. Sediment in the more distal zone 2 is almost twice as thick (~120 m) as in zone 1 close to the EPR. This is in contrast to the expected progressive sedimentary column thickening with seafloor age and distance from the spreading axis. The younger of two seismic units detected within the sedimentary column (EPR-2) occurs mainly in the distal zone on crust older than 9 Ma, whereas on younger crust it is present only in small isolated bodies. Both sedimentary units drape the basement. The drape is interpreted to represent particle settling from suspension and a generally low regional primary productivity. The spatial variation in sediment thickness cannot be explained by existing models, and other processes considered in the present case are (1) higher productivity in the western sector of the survey area, where thicker sediments were observed (zone 2), (2) the formation of sediment drifts near basement highs (‘seamount effect’), due to flow of Lower Circumpolar Deep Water affecting sediment deposition, and (3) erosion and/or non-deposition of the younger EPR-2 unit, due to elevated bed shear stresses associated with eddies transferring kinetic energy to the seafloor     

Seismic amplifications from offshore to shore

The objective of this study is to determine numerical estimations of seismic amplifications of waves traveling from offshore to shore considering the effect of sea floor configurations. According to the Boundary Element Method, boundary elements were used to irradiate waves and density force can be determined for each element. From this hypothesis, Huygens’ Principle is implemented since diffracted waves are constructed at the boundary from which they are radiated and this is equivalent to Somigliana's theorem. Application of boundary conditions leads to determine a system of integral equations of Fredholm type of second kind, which is solved by the Gaussian method. Various numerical models were analyzed, a first one was used to validate the proposed formulation and some other models were used to show various ideal sea floor configurations to estimate seismic amplifications. Once the formulation was validated, basic slope configurations were studied for estimating spectra of seismic amplifications for various sea floor materials. In general terms, compressional waves (P-waves) can produce seismic amplifications of the incident wave in the order of 2–5. On the other hand, distortional waves (S-waves) can produce amplifications up to 5.5 times the incident wave. A relevant finding is that the highest seismic amplifications due to an offshore earthquake are always located near the shore-line and not offshore despite the seafloor configuration.     

Generating interface waves using a freely falling, instrumentedsource

In recent years, interface waves such as the Scholte wave have become important tools in the study of the geoacoustic properties of near-bottom seafloor sediments. Traditionally, these waves have been generated by explosive or pneumatic sources deployed at or near the seafloor and monitored by ocean-bottom seismographs or geophone arrays. While these sources generate the requisite interface waves, they also produce higher frequency compressional waves in the water and sediment that tend to contaminate the surface wave and make inversion of the data difficult in the near field. In this paper, a new source consisting of a freely falling projectile instrumented with an accelerometer is described. When the projectile impacts the bottom, the exact time history of the vertical force applied to the sediment is known and therefore may be convolved with the transfer function of a sediment geoacoustic model to produce accurate synthetic seismograms. Moreover, the vertical force applied to the seafloor is very efficient in generating surface wave motion while producing very little compressional wave energy so that the near-field signals are much more easily analyzed. An example of the use of the new source is presented including inversion of the received signals to obtain shear-wave velocity and attenuation as a function of depth in the near bottom sediments at a shallow-water site     

Seismic characteristics of sediment drifts: An example from the Agulhas Plateau,southwest Indian Ocean

Sediment drifts provide information on the palaeoceanographic development of a region. Additionally, they may represent hydrocarbon reservoirs. Because of this, sediment drift investigation has increased over the last few years. Nevertheless, a number of problems remain regarding the processes controlling their shape, the characteristic lithological and seismic patterns and the diagnostic criteria. As an example, sediment drifts from the Agulhas Plateau, southwest Indian Ocean, are presented here. They show a variety of seismic features and facies including an asymmetric mounded geometry, changes in internal reflection pattern, truncation of internal reflectors at the seafloor and discontinuities. This collection of observations in combination with the local oceanography appears to comprise a diagnostic tool for sediment drifts.     

Phase-reversed seabed reflections in seismic data: examples related to mud volcanoes from the South Caspian Sea

The sediment–water interface is usually marked by an increase in acoustic impedance and is therefore displayed in a seismic section as a positive polarity reflection. Here, we use the term “seabed phase reversal” to describe areas of seafloor which are instead expressed as a negative polarity reflection in seismic data. We describe in detail a number of examples of seafloor phase reversals and use a simple one-dimensional geophysical model to test the hypothesis that they are the result of the presence of gas within the seafloor sediment. Our examples are all related to seismically imaged mud volcanoes located within the South Caspian Sea. Sections of phase-reversed seafloor at the summit area of these volcanoes have been mapped to reveal the existence of seafloor mud pools (salses) and recently erupted mud flows which show a strong similarity to smaller-scale features at onshore volcanoes in Azerbaijan. Synthetic geophysical modelling indicates that under the physical conditions likely to occur when the seabed sediment is gas-bearing, the seafloor will be expressed as a strong negative polarity reflection. Unlike other indicators of seafloor gas, such as pockmarks, which merely record the transient expulsion of fluids from sedimentary basins, seafloor phase reversals indicate the presence of gas in marine sediment at the time of survey acquisition. They therefore are of significance to engineering and site survey operations as well as the identification of biological communities and gas flux calculations.     

Structure of the Northern Symmetrical Segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge

A seismic refraction profile was shot along the axis of the Northern Symmetrical Segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge system. Three models of the along-axis crustal structure fit the observed data equally well. One model includes a low-velocity zone, the top of which is at a depth below the seafloor of approximately 3 km, that is continuous along-axis for at least 30 km. A second model includes a low-Q layer, the top of which is also at a depth of approximately 3 km below the seafloor and is continuous along-axis for at least 30 km. Both the low-Q layer and low-velocity zone can be explained geologically by a region of elevated temperatures. The third model is characterized by a homogeneous seismic layer 3. All models contain an ~1 km s^–1 discontinuity at the seismic layer 2/3 boundary; a wide-angle reflection from this boundary is seen on all record sections. Kappel and Ryan (1986) had previously proposed that the Northern Symmetrical Segment was in a stage of volcanic inactivity, and this theory is supported by the seismic observations. Two-dimensional modelling of travel times to ocean bottom hydrophone instruments shows that the amplitude variations in the along-axis depth to intracrustal seismic layers (a few hundred meters) is on the order of the lateral changes in topographic relief. It is suggested that the crustal emplacement processes reflect the deeper style of 3-D mantle upwelling beneath the ridge.     

Contourite identification along Italian margins: The case of the Portofino drift (Ligurian Sea)

A brief review of the published evidence of current deposits around Italy is the occasion to test the robustness of matching bottom current velocity models and seafloor morphologies to identify contourite drifts not yet documented. We present the result of the regional hydrodynamic model MARS3D in the Northern Tyrrhenian and Ligurian Sea with horizontal resolution of 1.2 km and 60 levels with focus on bottom current: data are integrated over summer and winter 2013 as representative of low and high intensity current conditions.The Eastern Ligurian margin is impacted by the Levantine Intermediate Water (LIW) with modeled mean velocity of bottom current up to 20 cm s⁻¹ in winter 2013 and calculated bottom shear stress exceeding 0.2 N m⁻² in water depth of 400–800 m. By crossing this information with seafloor morphology and geometry of seismic reflections, we identify a sediment drift formerly overlooked at ca 1000 m water depth. The Portofino separated mounded drift has a maximum thickness of at least 150 m and occurs in an area of mean current velocity minimum. Independent evidence to support the interpretation include bottom current modelling, seafloor morphology, seismic reflection geometry and sediment core facies. The adjacent areas impacted by stronger bottom currents present features likely resulted from bottom current erosion such as a marine terrace and elongated pockmarks.Compared to former interpretation of seafloor morphology in the study area, our results have an impact on the assessment of marine geohazards: submarine landslides offshore Portofino are small in size and coexist with sediment erosion and preferential accumulation features (sediment drifts) originated by current-dominated sedimentary processes. Furthermore, our results propel a more general discussion about contourite identification in the Italian seas and possible implications.     

南冲绳海槽地震反射波特征及其地质解释

对南冲绳海槽进行反射地震调查 ,结果表明 :(1 )海槽盖层主要由反射层组 (时代相当于第四纪 )和反射层组 (时代相当于上新世 )组成 ,推测槽底局部存在中新统。槽底沉积物主要源自中国大陆。轴部目前仍处在裂陷作用阶段 ;(2 )断裂极为发育 ,可分 NE— SW向(西南端转为近 E— W向 )和 NW— SE向两组 ,分别属张性及张扭性断裂 ,后者切割前者 ;(3)岩浆活动十分强烈 ,东南缘岩浆活动尤甚 ,推测其岩性以中、基性岩为主     

New compact ocean bottom cabled seismometer system deployed in the Japan Sea

The Japanese islands are positioned near the subduction zones, and large earthquakes have repeatedly occurred in marine areas around Japan. However, the number of permanent earthquake observatories in the oceans is quite limited. It is important for understanding generation of large earthquakes to observe seismic activities on the seafloor just above these seismogenic zones. An ocean bottom cabled seismometer (OBCS) is the best solution because data can be collected in real-time. We have developed a new compact OBCS system. A developed system is controlled by a microprocessor, and signals from accelerometers are 24-bit digitized. Clock is delivered from the global positioning system receiver on a landing station using a simple dedicated line. Data collected at each cabled seismometer (CS) are transmitted using standard Internet Protocol to landing stations. The network configuration of the system adopts two dual methods. We installed the first practical OBCS system in the Japan Sea, where large earthquakes occurred in past. The first OBCS system has a total length of 25 km and 4 stations with 5 km interval. Installation was carried out in August 2010. The CSs and single armored optical submarine cable were buried 1 m below the seafloor to avoid a conflict with fishing activity. The data are stored on a landing station and sent to Earthquake Research Institute, University of Tokyo by using the Internet. After the installation, data are being collected continuously. According to burial of the CSs, seismic ambient noises are smaller than those observed on seafloor.     

Mass transport deposits and gas hydrate occurrences in the Ulleung Basin,East Sea – Part 1: Mapping sedimentation patterns using seismic coherency

Seismic coherency measures, such as similarity and dip of maximum similarity, were used to characterize mass transport deposits (MTDs) in the Ulleung Basin, East Sea, offshore Korea. Using 2-D and 3-D seismic data several slope failure masses have been identified near drill site UBGH1-4. The MTDs have a distinct seismic character and exhibit physical properties similar to gas hydrate bearing sediment: elevated electrical resistivity and P-wave velocity. Sediments recovered from within the MTDs show a reworked nature with chaotic assemblage of mud-clasts. Additionally, the reflection at the base of MTDs is polarity reversed relative to the seafloor, similarly to the bottom-simulating reflector commonly used to infer the presence of gas hydrates. The MTDs further show regional seismic blanking (absence of internal reflectivity), which is yet another signature often attributed to gas hydrate bearing sediments. At the drill site UBGH1-4, no gas hydrate was recovered in sediment-cores from inside a prominent MTD unit. Instead, pore-filling gas hydrate was recovered only within thin turbidite sand layers near the base of the gas hydrate stability zone. With the analysis of seismic attributes, the seismic character of the prominent MTD (Unit 3) was investigated. The base of the MTD unit exhibits deep grooves interpreted as gliding tracks from either outrunner blocks or large clasts that were dragged along the paleo-seafloor. Similar seismic features were identified on the seafloor although the length of the gliding tracks on the seafloor is much shorter (a few hundred meters to ∼1 km), compared to over 10 km long tracks at the base of the MTD. The seismic coherency attributes allowed to estimate the volume of the failed sediment as well as the direction of the flow of sediment. Tracking the MTD and extrapolating its spatial extent from the 3-D seismic volume to adjacent 2-D seismic profiles, a possible source region of this mass failure was defined ∼50 km upslope of Site UBGH1-4.     

The physics of gas chimney and pockmark formation,with implications for assessment of seafloor hazards and gas sequestration

Pockmarks form where fluids discharge through seafloor sediments rapidly enough to make them quick, and are common where gas is present in near-seafloor sediments. This paper investigates how gas might lead to pockmark formation. The process is envisioned as follows: a capillary seal traps gas beneath a fine-grained sediment layer or layers, perhaps layers whose pores have been reduced in size by hydrate crystallization. Gas accumulates until its pressure is sufficient for gas to invade the seal. The seal then fails completely (a unique aspect of capillary seals), releasing a large fraction of the accumulated gas into an upward-propagating gas chimney, which displaces water like a piston as it rises. Near the seafloor the water flow causes the sediments to become “quick” (i.e., liquefied) in the sense that grain-to-grain contact is lost and the grains are suspended dynamically by the upward flow. The quickened sediment is removed by ocean-bottom currents, and a pockmark is formed. Equations that approximately describe this gas–piston–water-drive show that deformation of the sediments above the chimney and water flow fast enough to quicken the sediments begins when the gas chimney reaches half way from the base of its source gas pocket to the seafloor. For uniform near-surface sediment permeability, this is a buoyancy control, not a permeability control. The rate the gas chimney grows depends on sediment permeability and the ratio of the depth below seafloor of the top of the gas pocket to the thickness of the gas pocket at the time of seal failure. Plausible estimates of these parameters suggest gas chimneys at Blake Ridge could reach the seafloor in less than a decade or more than a century, depending mainly on the permeability of the deforming near-surface sediments. Since these become quick before gas is expelled, gas venting will not provide a useful warning of the seafloor instabilities that are related to pockmark formation. However, detecting gas chimney growth might be a useful risk predictor. Any area underlain by a gas chimney that extends half way or more to the surface should be avoided.     

Erosional channel incision and the origin of large sediment waves in Trondheimsfjorden,central Norway

An erosional channel and upslope-climbing sediment waves have been observed in Ytre Orkdalsfjorden and the marine fjord branch Gaulosen off the mouth of Gaula River in Trondheimsfjorden, central Norway. The submarine channel (up to 100–150 m wide and 12 m deep) is interpreted as the pathway of hyperpycnal flows and turbidity currents. It can be traced for 20 km on the seafloor from the mouth of Gaula River down to 500 m of water depth. Based on swath bathymetry and seismic data, the sediment waves are shown to have an accumulated thickness of 50–60 m. They are up to 8 m high, have up to 1-km-long crests, and wavelengths of 100–900 m. The sediment waves are attributed to hyperpycnal flows and turbidity currents overflowing the banks of the channel. Many of the sediment waves were instigated by pre-existing topography created by mass movements since early Holocene times.     

Seafloor and buried mounds on the western slope of the Niger Delta

Seafloor mounds are potential geohazards to offshore rig emplacement and drilling operations and may contain evidence of underlying petroleum systems. Therefore, identifying and mapping them is crucial in de-risking exploration and production activities in offshore domains.A 738 km² high resolution three-dimensional seismic dataset was used to investigate the occurrence, seismic characteristics and distribution of features interpreted as seafloor and buried sediment mounds, at water-depths of 800–1600 m, on the western Niger Delta slope. Fifteen seafloor mounds and eighteen shallowly buried mounds were identified. The seafloor mounds are characterised by lower seismic amplitude anomalies than the surrounding seabed sediments, and overlie vertical zones of acoustic blanking. The buried mounds in contrast are characterised by high amplitude anomalies; they also directly overlie sub-vertical zones of acoustic blanking. Seismic evidences from the features, their distribution patterns and tectono-stratigraphic associations suggest that their formation was controlled by the juxtaposition of buried channels and structural highs and their formation caused by focused fluid flow and expulsion of entrained sediments at the seabed.Considering the acoustic and geometrical characteristics of the mounds and comparing them with mound-shaped features from around the world, we conclude that the mounds most likely comprise heterolithic seafloor extrusions of muds and sands from the Agbada Formation with gas and possibly oil in some of the pore space giving rise to the acoustic characteristics.     

Particular features of the structure of the sedimentary layer of the earth’s crust in the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean

An electronic databank on the seismostratigraphic units based on seismic studies in the northeastern Indian Ocean is created and schematics of the sediment thickness distribution over its area are compiled. For each unit, the interface boundaries are dated, the matter composition is identified, and the sedimentation rates are estimated. An integrated map of the total thickness of the sediments and rates of their sedimentation are constructed. The lower limit of the parameters of the sedimentation process for the sedimentary layers after their compaction caused by the weight of the overlying layers is characterized.     

Strong tidal currents observed near the bottom in the Suruga Trough,central Japan

Current measurements carried out at the depth of 4 m above the sea bottom near the northern edge of the Suruga Trough in the early fall of 1985 indicated the existence of strong semidiurnal tidal currents, which were considered to be associated with internal tides. In order to examine the spatial structure of the bottom intensified tidal flow, more detailed current observations were carried out at three or four depths at two stations along the main axis of the Suruga Trough during about 70 days from August to October 1988. We obtained the following results: (1) the variations of the current velocity caused by the semidiurnal and diurnal internal tides are evident in all of the records, and the orientation of the major axis of each tidal ellipse nearly coincides with that of the main axis of the trough; (2) the semidiurnal internal tide is dominant over the diurnal internal tide at 4 m above the sea bottom at both stations; (3) at the northern station the semidiurnal internal tide is dominant over the diurnal internal tide, whereas they are nearly equal at the southern station except at 4 m above the sea bottom; (4) the biharmonic internal tides with 1/3 day and 1/4 day periods, are found near the sea bottom and the major axis of the tidal ellipse is perpendicular to the orientation of the main axis of the Suruga Trough.     

伊豆−博宁−马里亚纳岛弧地壳厚度分布及其对岩浆活动的指示

数值模拟研究认为洋底高原/洋脊俯冲和弧后扩张能够有效影响俯冲带岩浆活动和岛弧地壳增生。本文以伊豆?博宁?马里亚纳(IBM)俯冲带为实例,论证该结论的有效性。以卫星测高反演重力异常为基础,通过构建地球不同圈层密度模型,反演得到IBM俯冲带莫霍面埋深。本文的莫霍面埋深反演结果与地震解释结果具有一致的分布趋势。结合开源水深和沉积层厚度数据,给出了IBM俯冲带地壳厚度分布。IBM岛弧地壳体积沿走向的分布特征表明:①小笠原洋底高原和相对较小规模达顿洋脊的俯冲,都能够使得相应位置的岛弧变窄、地壳变厚、体积增大;②马里亚纳海槽扩张显著降低了岛弧地壳体积的增生量。     

A geological transect across the crest of the East Pacific Rise at 21°N latitude made from the deep submersible ALVIN

This paper is a report of geological observations made using the submersible ALVIN on the crest of the East Pacific Rise near 21°N. The profile is 6 km long and crosses a 5–10 km wide plateau which rises 100 m±above the rise flanks. At the axis are exposed fresh glassy pillow lavas with no sediment accumulation in a region termed the neovolcanic zone. This zone is about one kilometer wide and includes elongate ridges of pillow lavas and seventeen hydrothermal vent fields in the study area. Outside the neovolcanic zone the seafloor is extensively fissured in another zone which is up to two kilometers wide. The neovolcanic zone and the fissured zone are included within a rift valley or graben about 3 to 5 km wide and 50 m±deep. This rift valley is asymmetrically located on the west side of the axial plateau; the neovolcanic zone in the study area is asymmetrically located on the east side of the rift graben. Fissured crust is not common outside the rift graben or in the neovolcanic zone; similarly, large throw faults such as those which form the edges of the graben are not found outside of it. These observations can be interpreted according to a volcanic-tectonic cycle in which volcanic eruptions and hydrothermal circulation are followed by a tectonic phase which includes fissuring and vertical movements. When a new cycle starts it may involve a lateral shift of the spreading axis. Lavas along the dive profile are suggested to be no older than a few thousand years based on sediment accumulation. In contrast, seafloor spreading rates here predict crust up to 10⁵ yr old. This observation suggests that lavas from the neovolcanic zone can spread laterally about a kilometer or more and overlap on older crust.     

原位测量技术在黄海沉积声学调查中的应用

介绍了最新研制的基于液压驱动贯入的自容式海底沉积声学原位测量系统及其在南黄海中部海底沉积声学调查中的应用。该系统可以实现对海底沉积物声速和声衰减系数进行原位测量,通过液压驱动装置将四根声学探杆匀速贯入到海底沉积物中,减少了对沉积物的扰动,可按照预设的工作参数在海底全自动工作,无需甲板上人员实时控制,采集的声波信号自容式存储于存储单元。系统工作水深为500 m,测量深度为1 m,测量频率为30 kHz,采样频率为10 MHz。使用该系统在南黄海中部获得了40个站位不同类型沉积物的声学特性原位测量数据,并使用CTD剖面仪对该系统声速测量进行了标定,相对误差均小于0.5%,表明该系统测量数据准确、可靠。